Orange-Gingerbread Cheesecake Bars Recipe

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a 9x13-inch baking pan with enough parchment paper to have overhang on all sides. Lightly grease parchment.

Whisk together flour ginger cinnamon baking soda cloves nutmeg allspice and salt for the gingerbread in a large bowl until combined.

Cream brown sugar and butter in a separate bowl with an electric mixed until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla extract and beat until thoroughly combined. Mix in molasses.

Add flour mixture to butter mixture in 3 separate additions mixing only until just combined; dough will be fairly thick. Press 2/3 of the dough firmly and evenly into the bottom of the prepared baking pan using floured hands to prevent sticking.

Beat cream cheese sugar and salt for the filling in a large bowl until completely smooth and fluffy. Add eggs 1 at a time mixing well after each addition. Mix in vanilla extract and orange zest. Pour filling evenly over gingerbread crust and smooth with a spatula. Sprinkle remaining gingerbread dough over the filling and gently press down.

Bake in the preheated oven until edges are set and the center of the cheesecake only slightly jiggles 35 to 40 minutes. Cool completely in pan. Once cooled remove from pan using parchment \handles\ and slice into bars.